


Trip[pin’ :] On The Road

by illusion_flight



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-04
Updated: 2012-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-28 21:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/312578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illusion_flight/pseuds/illusion_flight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Rating: G</p><p>Originally written on August 10th, 2011.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Trip[pin’ :] On The Road

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: G
> 
> Originally written on August 10th, 2011.

Kai glanced over a mixing table and saw Reita shuffling with some cables and Ruki typing something into his laptop and Uruha swearing murder on his new guitar effector. Aoi was gone. A coffee? A cigarette? Kai´s eyes became glassy, lost in thought. He realized Uruha was looking back at him now, so he gave him a faint smile. Uruha kept staring.

 

What’s the problem again? Kai averted his gaze. He was tired of this. Just tired.

 

It had been going for far too long. The never-ending looks, the random remarks, all so noncommittal. Kai didn’t want to call it ignorance really. He was too optimistic of a guy for such a strong word. However, Uruha wouldn’t give him a break, would he? In the beginning, it was because they were strangers to each other. Kai liked to think that. But the degree of distance was supposed to decrease with the years adding up. Reciprocal ratio. Uruha didn’t work according to usual rules and scenarios it seemed. During all this time Kai tried to understand, but eventually he just gave up. As long as they were able to work together…

 

Uruha kept staring.

 

All of a sudden, the door to the studio flew open, hitting a wall next to it and revealing Aoi, grinning at a smart phone in his hand. Kai was willing to put his own hand into fire that he was tweeting.

 

\---

 

“So, tonight I’m leaving Tokyo for a weekend. Some people back home are holding a middle high school reunion and I promised to come,” Aoi said and Kai frowned.

 

“But we haven’t finished the mixing yet.”

 

“Well, I’m going when we are done here tonight. So no worries, Kai. I’ve spoken to the manager about it in advance. Wanna tag along?” Aoi joked. Apparently. Kai wondered why they were told nothing. Surely Aoi was to blame. A snicker escaped his lips.  

 

“What? You want to bring me with you? Instead of a girlfriend that you don´t even have?” A sneer spread across Kai´s face. Aoi’s mouth formed a thin line, he seemed like losing it anytime. Kai went on, on purpose oblivious that his joke wasn’t that apparent at all.

 

“So in place of your girlfriend, you bring your band. That is an accomplishment as well.” Kai nodded to add seriousness to his words and shuffled away to his drum set, towards Hasegawa the technician who just finished fixing his drum bass double pedal. Reita looked up from his bass. Ruki didn’t stop typing. Uruha seemed very impartial to everything that was happening. Kai could still feel his eyes stabbing into his back, an unpleasant feeling digging into his stomach. He should have just shut up, shouldn’t he?

 

“Actually,…” Aoi’s face brightened up. Inwardly, Kai slapped himself. He wished he didn’t have to turn around ever again.

 

Similarly to Kai himself, Aoi had the ability to go on forever about things and ideas he fancied or found interesting. He refused to let the subject go until he was sated enough with everyone’s responses. The difference between the two men was that Aoi sometimes, just sometimes, couldn’t read the atmosphere, thus his own satisfaction was to be reached at any costs.

 

Kai sighed, and Hasegawa the technician gave him a sympathetic look. It looked like he might have just made himself plans for the whole weekend.

 

As it turned out, Kai made plans for the whole band.

 

\---

 

Aoi insisted they go right away, once they call it a day, and that they take his car. He called Kai a wimp when he tried to reason with the lack of clothes, shower, energy. Whatever. It was 23 minutes before midnight.

 

Reita refused to crowd in the guitarist´s new but small car and decided to follow them on his motorbike. Ruki seated himself in the front next to Aoi automatically. That´s the way it always was anyway. Kai found himself in the backseat, Uruha splayed next to him, his legs spread wide; Kai could see him scratching his crotch lazily, yawning. He was also very much aware of him still sporting that impartial face; he was surprised that Uruha agreed on taking part in this silly road trip at all. Actually, he was surprised they all were there. Once there was a possible free weekend ahead, spending it with the band mates was the last alternative they opted for.

 

However, a strange kind of enthusiasm started seizing Kai’s body. This could be a proper fun after all. It felt like a flashback of the times when there was still no real manager to ride their shitty old van around the country to pick new fans up. Kai started wondering whether their decision was really based only on Aoi’s declaration that his mother was the best cook in the whole world. He could’t recall the last time they believed everything that Aoi said. Though he remembered something about them secretly being a bunch of nostalgic bastards. Kai glanced towards Ruki, who was adjusting his scarf. The lower half of his face disappeared under several layers of thin grey fabric; Kai could hear a tired sigh.    

 

“What are you waiting for, Aoi?” Ruki´s raspy voice was muffled. The only response he got was the roaring of Reita’s bike behind them and an intro of a song in which they later recognized Koda Kumi’s strong vocals. At least they knew what they could expect from Aoi in this field.

 

“Gentlemen, are you ready?”

 

Kai mused how strange it was that Aoi couldn’t take a joke to save his life. All of a sudden, he felt sorry Reita was not in the car. Uruha moved his left knee closer to Kai’s.

 

\---

 

It had been only a kilometre or two before reaching an interchange to Tomei expressway that Uruha had suggested taking regular roads. This was already weird enough, them going and all. Aoi showed an inappropriate amount of excitement about his idea and set his GPS navigation for the roads that were everything but expressways. He called the system’s voice Kumiko. When he addressed it that way for the first time, they snorted in unison. Kai turned his head towards Uruha unconsciously, as if he needed some kind of confirmation of his own amusement. To his surprise, he was met with an equal grin on the guitarist´s face. The digital numbers on Aoi´s car’s dashboard jumped forward.

 

 _00:23_

 

 Kai turned around in his seat and watched helmeted Reita, closely following their car.

 

“I want some beer.”

 

Kai’s eyes returned back to Uruha. One hell of an idea. Kumiko the GPS announced their journey to a village close to the town of Toba in Mie would take them approximately seven hours. And they just had to keep Aoi awake somehow.  

 

\---

 

Only later Kai realized they were very lucky because they managed to stop at the last SA for a very long time. Aoi, grumbling something about drinking without him not being fair, got off to fuel the car up. Ruki stayed inside, Reita leaning against the roof of the car, talking to him about something through the front window rolled down. Kai joined Uruha in shopping for the mood makers. He had to remind himself to walk a bit slower, feeling strange about Uruha being two steps behind.

 

A pack of beer, coffee, and water cans later, they stood in front of the gasoline station, waiting for Aoi to pay for the gas. They forgot the food. No one said a thing. As if that momentary understanding in the car had never even occurred. But it wasn’t like they had nothing else to talk about. Kai thought of saying something but changed his mind eventually. Uruha rubbed his shoulder with his free hand and shifted his weight from one foot to another. This should have never been so awkward after so many years. They both looked up towards the sky on the East at the same time. Kai didn´t know whether it was only his eyes lying to him, but he thought he saw a star.

 

\---

 

Somewhere in the middle of Shizuoka prefecture, they ran out of all the beer. But Uruha found a half-full bottle of whiskey under Ruki’s front seat. Aoi pretended he had no idea about how it got there. The following 15 minutes Kai spent reconciling the two men and mixing the golden liquid with the soda from the cans. He was good at that.

 

Afterwards their talk turned appropriately dirty. Kai didn’t remember Ruki could be that lewd. He couldn’t help laughing. At this point Uruha started staring at him again, and he was sure he was searching for an opportunity to tease him about something. Like about that time when he was dating this girl who turned out to be a lunatic. Well, in her case, the proper term was nymphomaniac. She liked their studio a lot. That one was Uruha´s favourite.

 

Uruha taunting him – it was his habit. That was Kai´s favourite amongst the abundance of Uruha’s nonexistent attitude towards him. He never showed how it actually drove him crazy. Was this all he deserved? But for a change Kai was happy Reita was not there or else Uruha would have never punched him in the arm like he did now. His heart skipped two beats.

 

\---

 

46 minutes into entering Aichi prefecture, Aoi announced he needed to take a piss. Coffee was gone as well now, but there in the middle of nowhere at 4:11 in the morning, the sun was already peeking out. When they got out of the car, they could smell the sea and mandarin trees even though none of it was to be seen. Expect a long road and vast fields nothing could be seen.

 

Reita seemed disappointed when he realized they were drinking more than beer. Kai patted his arm when Ruki laughed cheerfully at his expression, reminding him that it was his own choice with the motorbike. Then he strode off to find himself a spot for relieving himself. Kai followed his steps but stopped at a respectable range. No trees at all. He couldn´t care less. Undoing his pants, he stood at the edge-stone, closing his eyes. Suddenly, he felt someone on his right. It was Uruha, he looked fairly tipsy, but his hands were steady when unzipping his own trousers. Kai had been watching his long fingers before he quickly closed his eyes again. Then there was an unexpected weight on his arm; Uruha was leaning against him.

 

“Sorry, man,” Uruha apologized and it sounded strangely sincere. Kai didn´t know what to do nor what to say back. He tugged himself in and waited until the other man was done.

 

\---

 

At first they all thought Aoi was joking, but when they heard or more like didn’t hear any sound coming from under the bonnet, the realization downed hard on them. The car wouldn’t start. Not losing any hope yet, Aoi called Reita over and both men huddled over the engine with a torch. After 20 minutes of silent murmurs, they turned off the light. The sun was almost up. Kai could now recognize more minute features of Uruha’s face, animated as he asked Reita something. Was Ruki sleeping in the car? Aoi straightened up and his brows were saying it all. They had a problem.

 

This time it was not Kai’s place to decide what they would do. In the last 50 minutes not a single car passed by them. But they had Reita and his bike and oh, he was so proud of himself. And there was a village - a helping hand somewhere ahead of them, Kumiko the GPS had said so before they pulled over to the curb. Kai was watching Reita with Aoi sitting behind him drove off into the sunrise. The scene was almost idyllic. Almost only because at the moment they were just fucked, and his adrenaline levels were too high. Uruha was chuckling behind him and he couldn’t stand it.

 

Then Ruki emerged from the car.

 

“I’m bored. I’ll hitchhike after them.” He covered his mouth with his palm as he yawned.

 

“A single car hasn’t showed up in an hour, Ruki.” Kai remarked.

 

Ruki smirked. “Something will come.”

 

After 12 minutes of silence and leaning against the bonnet of the car, Kai was absolutely convinced that Ruki must have been born under some kind of a lucky star when they spotted nearing headlights. Ruki put on his huge dark sunglasses and turned towards him.

 

“I’ll call you when I arrive. Have fun.”

 

He jutted his thumb out. A car stopped a few meters ahead of them.  

 

“He shouldn’t do it.” Kai hoped he didn’t sound too annoyed when he was saying that to Uruha.

 

“It’s his problem.”

 

“He shouldn’t go alone at least.”

 

“Then go with him.” Uruha was amused. Definitely. Kai felt the heat coming to his cheeks.

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“Then don’t,” was all Uruha responded with. Kai could recognize three gyaru inside. They were loud. There was nothing that could surprise him anymore. He heard Ruki’s contagious laughter and then the door slammed.

 

Now it was only the two of them.

 

And the car.

 

Kai quickly tried to remember the last film he saw, so he could talk about it to hide how unsettling the situation was for him. Somewhere in the distance the sound of the cars wisely rushing through the expressway was getting more definite.

 

\---

 

Kai climbed up on the bonnet after Uruha. If he was worried what Aoi would say, finding them there like that, he must have pushed the thought of it as far back in his head as possible; if he remembered right it was all Aoi’s idea that got them there in the first place. Wait, no. It was his. Only meant as a joke though. Before Kai managed to justify his own excuse for himself, he registered a careful movement next to him. Uruha lied down on the windshield, his knees slightly crouched and heels propped.

 

Kai didn’t even turn to face him, he just started to talk. Nothing changed. Obviously not even unusual times called for unusual reactions. Humans are creatures of habit. Suddenly, Kai halted in his words. He should have thought of this earlier. Again there were Uruha’s eyes on him.

 

“What is it?” Uruha sounded tired. Kai only shook his head.

 

Was there a chance of this all being just Uruha’s inability to break the habit? After all, that was what people say, right? Old habits die hard. Did it mean that Uruha’s act was only something he was used to sporting? Something safe in his comfort zone? But then why would he go out of it for everyone else but him?

 

“What happened, Kai?”

 

And here it was again, this unknown genuineness. Concern. He replied maybe only a minute afterwards, lying.

 

“It’s my head. I have a headache.”

 

And here it was again, the delayed reaction. Unswayed tone.

 

“I see.”

 

Then they stopped talking altogether. Minutes passed. Kai bowed his head in between his knees. A phone in his pocket vibrated and a default melody started playing. He took it out and looked at its screen.

 

“It’s Ruki.” He said, to no one in particular.  

 

“Pick it up then.”

 

Kai’s stomach churned. He wanted to say he didn’t want to. Would Uruha say the same as he had before? That he didn’t have to? His hand was slightly shaking. He leaned back as well and now his head was at the same level with Uruha’s. He turned it just to find Uruha staring into his eyes now. He brought his phone to his ear and pushed a green, pick up button.

 

“Ruki, where are you?”

 

This time Kai didn’t avert his gaze.

 


End file.
